Rennie warns All Blacks of 'excellent' Wallabies after eleven-man Springboks demolition

All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie has issued a pointed warning to his squad after watching Les Kiss’ Wallabies dismantle the back-to-back World Champion Springboks in Perth on Sunday — a performance he described as “emphatic” even as Australia were reduced to eleven men during the final quarter.

Rennie, who himself coached the Wallabies between 2019 and 2023, was speaking to New Zealand media from Australia when he offered a candid assessment of the opposition his side will face in the two Bledisloe Cup Tests next month.

“I thought they were excellent. They were pretty emphatic in the first sort of 65 minutes, and it’s pretty hard to defend when you’re down to 11 in the end,” Rennie said. “It’s a very experienced side now. There’s a lot of those guys who have played seven-plus years of international rugby, and a big chunk of guys who have played 50, 60, 70 Tests for Australia.”

Kiss and the Wallabies head to New Zealand with momentum firmly behind them, remaining unbeaten under the new head coach’s short tenure. Despite Australia not having held the Bledisloe Cup since 2002, Rennie is not underestimating the challenge they will pose at Eden Park.

“I never felt there was a lack of mindset or determination. In those sorts of games, you’ve got to be at your best, and you’ve got to win key moments,” he said. “International rugby now is really tight. There are just so many good sides that are all pretty close. We’d expect that to be a tough battle in Auckland.”

To meet that challenge, Rennie has named a 34-man All Blacks squad for the two Tests, recalling lock Scott Barrett and back-row forward Shannon Frizell to bolster his tight-five and locking stocks. The additions signal Rennie’s intent to match Australia’s physicality in what he expects will be a closely contested series.